


Assigned

by AutisticWriter



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Coming Out, Ficlet, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Gift Fic, Hugs, Implied/Referenced Transphobia, Menstruation mention, Trans Female Character, Trans Melanie Bush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 09:42:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13784832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutisticWriter/pseuds/AutisticWriter
Summary: In which Mel comes out to the Doctor and finds that, whilst he may find human gender a confusing subject, he makes a wonderful ally.





	Assigned

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pearlislove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pearlislove/gifts).



> Written for Pearlislove, who requested a story featuring trans Mel.

Mel never meant to come out to the Doctor, but it kind of happened by accident. When she first began travelling with the Doctor in his sixth incarnation, he wanted to make sure she was settled in. and, after a long time travelling with humans, the Doctor knew that humans have to deal with some… unsettling bodily functions. So it made perfect sense that the Doctor walked up to her in the TARDIS one day and said:

“Do you require any sanitary products, Mel?”

Mel looked at him. “What?”

The Doctor looked puzzled. “I mean, do you need any sanitary towels or tampons? Or if you use the contraceptive pill, do you need me to synthesize any of those for you?”

Mel broke eye contact. He meant exactly what she thought he did. He obviously saw her presenting as female and assumed she was assigned female at birth, and therefore need the use of menstrual products. But he was wrong.

So she took at deep breath and said, “No, Doctor, I don’t need any of those things. I’m a trans woman.”

“Oh,” the Doctor said, clearly confused. But then he smiled. “I see. Sorry, Mel, I was being ignorant of way human gender works. If I remember the correct terminology, you mean to tell me that you were… assigned male at birth?”

She smiled, relieved. He obviously knew far more about this sort of thing than she thought. Which, she supposed, he must have; after all, the Doctor had travelled with lots of humans before her, and surely one of them must have either been trans or told him about it.

“Yeah, that’s right,” she said. “I’m transgender. So, despite being a woman, I have no need for any sanitary products. However…” she trailed off, embarrassment taking over.

Mel went red and the Doctor stared at her.

“Mel?” he said. “Is something wrong?”

She knew she didn’t need to get embarrassed. This was nothing to be ashamed of. But years of growing up as a trans girl in 20th century Britain didn’t exactly make her feel the safest to be herself.

“I do need some oestrogen, you know, for hormone replacement therapy,” she said. “I’m going to run out soon and I really need to keep taking it.”

The Doctor stepped closer and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Well, I can totally arrange that for you, Mel. And, you don’t need to feel bad about yourself here. I don’t claim to fully understand your human gender binary, but I need you to know that there is no judgement in my TARDIS.”

Mel smiled. “Thanks, Doctor.”

She hugged him. The Doctor smiled and rubbed her back. “You don’t need to thank me, Mel. And if there’s anything else I need to know, don’t hesitate to tell me.”

And Mel nearly cried, so glad she had finally found a friend who accepts her and loves her for who she really is.


End file.
